Franklin Resources Inc. Has $11.15 Million Stock Holdings in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 668,626 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 20,243 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.35% of American Eagle Outfitters worth $11,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,933,628 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $165,594,000 after purchasing an additional 184,067 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,505,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $91,774,000 after buying an additional 472,683 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,918,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $65,341,000 after buying an additional 226,821 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,877,963 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $47,976,000 after buying an additional 381,047 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at $35,267,000. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AEO shares. Citigroup set a $13.00 price target on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Bank of America cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 7.1 %

AEO stock opened at $9.62 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.45 and a 52 week high of $25.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.57. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.